Deuteronomy 27: Lessons from the Jews’ Ratification of God’s First Covenant

Give thanks that God is a God of second chances1

Introduction: After giving the Ten Commandments and the statutes that interpret these Commandments (Dt. 5-26), God required the Jews to ratify His covenant. His ratification requirements followed the format of the treaties used at that time between great powers and lesser nations under the control of the great power, called a “Suzerain / vassal treaty.” After setting out the terms and conditions of the covenant, it was common for a ceremony to exist to ratify the covenant. This ceremony involved witnesses, vows of compliance, and an agreement on the consequences that would follow in the event of a breach (Gen 15:9-11; Jer. 34:18-20).

Many Christians assume there is no point to partaking in the “Old Covenant” when Jesus offered the “New Covenant.” Yet, there are important differences between the two Covenants. While the New Covenant covers matters of eternal salvation, the Law of the Old Covenant did not. There are many Bible references to doctrinal fights between Paul and “Judaizers,” who told new believers that they had to become Jewish to be saved. Yet, it was a one-sided fight. There are no provisions in the Torah that speak to the requirements for eternal salvation. Within the three books of the Torah that contain the Law (Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy), the only reference to Sheol appears when the ground opened up and swallowed those in Korah’s rebellion (Nu. 16:30, 33). While this word can be translated as hell, no English translation uses the word hell in these verses. Within the three books that contain the Law, the word “salvation” only appears three times. These references describe who God is. They have nothing to do with following the Law (Ex. 14:13; 15:2; Dt. 32:15). Although the term “heaven” is found throughout the Torah, it also is never used in the context of salvation.

The absence of any discussion about an afterlife in the Torah is why the Sadducees never believed in one. It is also why they mocked Jesus for preaching that one existed (Mk. 12:18-27). Other Jews were ambivalent about an afterlife. The Pharisees believed in an afterlife. Some might have believed that compliance with the Law in the Torah brought salvation. Yet, there were no verses to support this view. Thus, it was not inconsistent with the Old Testament for Christians to state that compliance with the Law in the Old Testament was insufficient to guarantee a person’s salvation (Ro. 7:6; 8:3; Gal. 2:21). Today, many Messianic Jews assert that the blessings and curses of the Old Covenant focused on what happens while we are alive. If you sin while you are alive, you can repent and Jesus will forgive you (1 Jo. 1:9). Yet, there are still consequences in this life for your sins. One need only look around in the modern Church to find Christians who have lost the blessing of peace through carnal behavior. In Deuteronomy chapter 27, God reveals six steps to enjoy the blessings and protections of God’s First Covenant while you live. The final lesson is revealed in the New Covenant. There, God reveals how to find both spiritual blessings in your life on Earth and blessings in the life to come.

First, while you are alive, obedience to God’s Law allows you to stay within the protections of His First Covenant. Second, to stay within the protections of the First Covenant, take steps to remember and memorize God’s Law. Third, proper worship will also help you to obey the Law. Fourth, listening to the Holy Spirit will also help you to obey God’s will for you. Fifth, accountability to other believers will also help you to be obedient. Sixth, reverent fear of God and His curses for breaking the Law while you live will help motivate you to obey the Law. Finally, because the Law was never meant to provide a path to eternal salvation, you must turn to Jesus to find salvation and be freed from the eternal curses from breaking the Law.

1. Obedience – Obedience Keeps You Within the Protections of the First Covenant. Dt. 27:1.

Let your obedience be the fruit of your faith2

2. Remembrance – Remembering God’s Faithfulness Helps Bring Obedience. Dt. 27:2-5.

Take steps to ensure that you never forget God’s faithfulness3

3. Worship – Worshiping God will Help Motivate You to Obey the Law. Dt. 27:6-8.

4. Listen – Listening to the Holy Spirit will Help You to Obey God’s Will. Dt. 27:9-10.

5. Accountability- Being Accountable to Other will Help You to be Obedient. Dt. 27:11-14.

6. Reverence: the 12 Curses for Those Who Disobey the Law. Dt. 27:15-26.

(1) The curse for secret idolatry. God’s Second Commandment prohibits idolatry (Ex. 20:4, 23; Dt. 5:8). This prohibition is also repeated throughout the Torah (Ex. 34:17; Lev. 19:9; 26:1; Dt. 4:16, 23). Anything that takes more importance in your life than God can become an idol. For the unsaved, the eternal penalty for idolatry is death (1 Cor. 6:9). Any person who engages in idolatry is also under a curse: “15 Cursed is the man who makes an idol or a molten image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’” (Dt. 27:14-15).

(2) The curse for disobedience to your parents. God’s Fifth Commandment requires that you honor your parents (Ex. 20:12; Dt. 5:16). This Commandment is also repeated throughout the Bible (e.g., Lev. 19:3). The eternal penalty for the unsaved who violate this Law is death (Ex. 21:17; Lev. 20:9). “The eye that mocks a father and scorns a mother, the ravens of the valley will pick it out, and the young eagles will eat it.” (Prov. 30:17). During your lifetime, if you dishonor your parents you can also be subject to a curse: “16 Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” (Dt. 27:16).

(3) The curse for secret theft from your neighbor. God’s Eighth Commandment prohibits theft (Ex. 20:15; Dt. 5:19). He repeatedly warned that it was against His Law to steal from a neighbor by secretly moving a neighbor’s land markers (Dt. 19:14; Job 24:2; Prov. 22:28; Hos. 5:10). For the unsaved, the eternal penalty for theft of any kind is death (1 Cor. 6:10). Anyone who breaks this law is also under a curse: “17 Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary mark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” (Dt. 27:17).

(4) The curse for secretly misleading the blind. It is also against God’s Law to mislead the blind: “You shall not curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall revere your God; I am the LORD.” (Lev. 19:14). Anyone who misleads the blind is cursed: “18 Cursed is he who misleads a blind person on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” (Dt. 27:18).

(5) The curse for distorting justice. It is also against God’s Law to distort justice for the foreigners, the orphans, and the widows (Ex. 22:21; 23:9; Lev. 19:33; Dt. 10:18; 24:17; Mal. 3:5). Breaking this law exposed a person to a curse: “19 Cursed is he who distorts the justice due an alien, orphan, and widow.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” (Dt. 27:19).

(6) The curse for incest with a father. Incest with a person’s father is also against God’s Law (Lev. 18:7-8). The daughters of Lot broke this law by getting their father drunk and sleeping with him (Gen. 19:30-38). The Moabites and the Amorites came from these unholy acts of incest. They were cursed and barred from God’s assembly (Dt. 23:2-6). The Ammonites and the Moabites later came together with others to wage war against King Jehoshaphat (2 Chr. 20:1). The prophets later gave God’s prophecy of judgment against these nations (Jer. 48:1; 49:1; Ezek. 21:28; Zeph. 2:8; Is. 15:1). The eternal penalty for the unsaved who violate this law is death (Lev. 20:11). Anyone who voluntarily breaks this law (which excludes a child who is raped) is subject to a curse: “20 Cursed is he who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s skirt.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” (Dt. 27:20).

(7) The curse for bestiality. Sex with animals is also against God’s Law (Lev. 18:23). The eternal penalty for the unsaved who violate this law is death (Ex. 22:19; Lev. 20:15-16). A person who breaks this law also lives under a curse while alive: “21 Cursed is he who lies with any animal.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” (Dt. 27:21).

(8) The curse for incest with a sister. Incest was also prohibited under God’s Law: “The nakedness of your sister, either your father's daughter or your mother's daughter, whether born at home or born outside, their nakedness you shall not uncover.” (Lev. 18:9). This included half-sisters: “The nakedness of your father’s wife’s daughter, born to your father, she is your sister, you shall not uncover her nakedness.” (Lev. 18:11). Any person who committed incest was to be disgraced: “If there is a man who takes his sister, his father's daughter or his mother's daughter, so that he sees her nakedness and she sees his nakedness, it is a disgrace; and they shall be cut off in the sight of the sons of their people. He has uncovered his sister's nakedness; he bears his guilt.” (Lev. 20:17). Ammon (the son of King David and Ahinoam) later violated this Law and raped his half-sister Tamar (the daughter of David and Maachah), even after she warned him of the curse that would await him (2 Sam. 13:12-13). Even though Ammon was the heir-apparent, he lived under a curse for his actions. God removed His hedge of protection. His half-brother Absalom then avenged Tamar’s death by killing Amnon (2 Sam. 13:23-39). A person today who sleeps with his sibling is also under God’s curse: “22 Cursed is he who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or of his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” (Dt. 27:22).

(9) The curse for incest with a mother-in-law. God’s Seventh Commandment prohibits adultery (Ex. 20:14; Dt. 5:18). A person who has sex with his mother-in-law not only commits adultery, that person also breaks God’s Law for immoral relationships (Lev. 20:14). The Bible gives us an example of someone who broke the similar Law against sleeping with a step-mother (Lev. 20:11). Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn, slept with Jacob’s concubine Bilhah (Gen. 35:22). Yet, instead of being put to death, God showed mercy and grace by causing him to lose his first-born status. (1 Chron. 5:1). He and his descendants were also put under a curse: “Uncontrolled as water, you shall not have preeminence, Because you went up to your father's bed; then you defiled it-- he went up to my couch.” (Gen. 49:4). As proof that the laws of sexual morality continue in the New Testament, Paul also preached against this pagan practice while in Corinth (1 Cor. 5:1). The eternal penalty for the unsaved who violate this law is death (Lev. 20:14). Today, a person who sleeps with his parent-in-law (and most likely a step-parent) is also under God’s curse: “23 Cursed is he who lies with his mother-in-law.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” (Dt. 27:23).

(10) The curse for a secret battery. For the unsaved, battery causing only injury is not a capital offense. Yet, secretly hitting another person brings that person under a curse: “24 Cursed is he who strikes his neighbor in secret.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” (Dt. 27:24).

(11) The curse for hired murders of the innocent. God’s Eighth Commandment prohibits murder (Ex. 20:13; Dt. 5:17). The penalty for murder is death (Gen. 9:5-6; Ex. 21:12; Lev. 24:17; Nu. 35:30-31). A person who accepted a bribe to commit murder was not only under a death sentence, that person is also cursed: “25 Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to strike down an innocent person.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” (Dt. 27:25).

(12) The curse for failing to follow the Law. Finally, any person who broke any other Law of God within the First Covenant was subject to a curse: “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, ‘Cursed is the man who does not heed the words of this Covenant.”’ (Jer. 11:3). “26 Cursed is he who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’” (Dt. 27:26).

Keep your commitment to follow God’s Word4

7. Faith – Faith in Jesus is the Only Way to Remove the Curse under the Law.